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The 2T 0h 1 1e P C ro o l gl College re eg se s C R eo pm o Completion rp tl e t i o n A Agenda g e n d a The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that 2011 connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of more than 5,900 of the world’s Progress Report leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success — including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement Program®. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools. For further information, visit www.collegeboard.org. The College Board Advocacy & Policy Center was established to help transform education in America. Guided by the College Board’s principles of excellence and equity in education, we work to ensure that students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to succeed in college and beyond. We make critical connections between policy, research and real-world practice to develop innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges in education today. This report can be downloaded at completionagenda.collegeboard.org. Hard copies may be ordered by contacting [email protected]. advocacy.collegeboard.org © 2011 The College Board. College Board, Advanced Placement, Advanced Placement Program, AP, SAT and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board. PSAT/NMSQT is a registered trademark of the College 110854705 Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation. All other products and services may be trademarks of their respective owners. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.org. 11b-3269 Acknowledgments This report was written and edited by John Michael Lee Jr., policy director of the College Board Advocacy and Policy Center; Anita Rawls, assistant research scientist in Research and Development; Kelcey Edwards, senior research analyst at the College Board; and Roxanna Menson, director in Advanced Placement. The authors would like to thank Christen Pollock, vice president of advocacy and director of the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center, for her unwavering support of this project. We would further like to thank Rosalina Colon, project manager in the College Board Advocacy and Policy Center, who provided excellent oversight for the entire project and ensured that we completed this project; and a special thanks is given to Mike Hurowitz, associate policy research scientist in the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center who provided invaluable contributions to chapters seven and eight of this report. The authors would also like to thank Wayne Camara, vice president of Research & Development at the College Board; Thanos Patelis, vice president in Research & Analysis Services at the College Board; and Ellen Sawtell, senior director of research services at the College Board who provided edits and analysis for this report. The authors would also like to thank the College Completion Agenda Advisory Committee Members who helped to shape this document into an even better document. These advisory members include Patrick Kelly, senior associate at the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS); Michael Nettles, senior vice president at Educational Testing Services (ETS); Bruce Walker, vice provost and director of admissions at The University of Texas at Austin; Trevor Packer, senior vice president at the College Board; Patricia Martin, assistant vice president and director of NOSCA at the College Board; and Sandy Baum, independent senior policy analyst at the College Board. Each provided invaluable advice and direction for this project. We heartily acknowledge the efforts of each of these individuals in the process of conducting this research. We also recognize that the responsibility for the content of this report, including errors, lies solely with the authors. The College Completion Agenda 2011 Progress Report John Michael Lee, Jr. Kelcey Edwards Roxanna Menson Anita Rawls The Goal: Increase the proportion of 25- to 34-year-olds who hold an associate degree or higher to 55 percent by the year 2025 in order to make America the leader in educational attainment in the world. 55% by 2025 iii One Recommendations So Provide a program of voluntary Important They Cannot preschool education, universally available to children from low- Be Ignored income families. Two When the Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education (subsequently referred to as the commission) convened in fall 2008, the Improve middle and high school educational landscape was facing a number of issues that the commission’s college counseling. members recognized as formidable challenges to those students who aspire Three to enroll and succeed in college. Summarizing the commission’s 2008 report, Coming to Our Senses: Education and the American Future, college and high Implement the best research- school completion rates had dropped dramatically; the proportion of adults based dropout prevention with postsecondary credentials was not keeping pace with other industrialized programs. nations; and signifi cant disparities existed for low-income and minority students. Four As such, the commission was faced with two key questions: What must be done to improve the nation’s educational system, and how will we know if the Align the K–12 education system changes that are made are successful? with international standards and college admission expectations. Echoing the fi ndings of other key educational policymakers, the commission declared that it is critical — and thus should be a primary goal — that Five 55 percent of the nation’s young adults attain an associate degree or higher. Improve teacher quality and focus The commission further offered a 10-part action plan in the form of 10 on recruitment and retention. recommendations. Six The commission noted that these recommendations are so important they must be measured on a regular basis to help us understand the state of the Clarify and simplify the educational landscape in the nation and how it changes over time. This report admission process. is designed to illustrate the degree to which the nation is moving toward — Seven or away from — taking the necessary steps for ensuring an educated and enlightened citizenry. Provide more need-based grant aid while simplifying the fi nancial aid system and making it more transparent. Eight Keep college affordable. Nine Dramatically increase college completion rates. Ten Provide postsecondary opportunities as an essential element of adult education programs. iv The Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education Commission Members Gaston Caperton, President College Board William “Brit” Kirwan (Chairman), Chancellor University System of Maryland Jerome Lucido (Vice Chairman), Executive Director and University of Southern California Professor of Research Molly Broad, President, Education American Council on Joyce Brown, Manager of Secondary School Counselors Chicago Public Schools Arlene Wesley Cash, Vice President for Enrollment Management Spelman College Frank Chong, President Laney College Carl Cohn, Former Superintendent San Diego Unifi ed School District Tom Dawson, Senior Policy Offi cer The Gates Foundation Janice Doyle, Chief of Staff to Chancellor University System of Maryland Susan Gendron, Commissioner of Education Maine Barbara Gill, Director of Undergraduate Admissions University of Maryland Natala “Tally” Hart, Senior Advisor for Economic Access The Ohio State University Terry Hartle, Senior Vice President American Council on Education Kati Haycock, President The Education Trust Mary Lee Hoganson, Past President National Association for College Admission Counseling Don Hossler, Executive Director National Student Clearinghouse Joseph McDonald, President & Founder Salish Kootenai College James Moeser, Chancellor Emeritus University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lester Monts, Senior Vice Provost University of Michigan Charlene Nunley, President Emerita Montgomery College Shirley Ort, Associate Provost and Director of Scholarships University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill & Student Aid Charles Reed, Chancellor California State University Manuel Rivera, Former Deputy Secretary of Education New York Barbara Snyder, President Case Western Reserve University Gordon Stanley, Director of Counseling Marist School Bruce Walker, Vice Provost and Director of Admissions University of Texas at Austin Gregory Williams, President City College of New York James Wright, President Emeritus Dartmouth College Mark Yudof, President University of California College Board Staff Tom Rudin, Senior Vice President Wayne Camara, Vice President Christen Pollock, Vice President Bradley Quin, Executive Director Sandy Baum, Independent Senior Policy Analyst for the College Board v The College Completion Agenda 2011 Progress Report Advisory Committee Advisory Committee Members Patrick Kelly, Senior Associate National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) Patricia Martin, Assistant Vice President The College Board Michael Nettles, Senior Vice President Educational Testing Service Trevor Packer, Senior Vice President The College Board Bruce Walker, Vice Provost and Director of Admissions University of Texas-Austin Advocacy and Policy Center Staff Christen Pollock, Vice President Jessica Morffi , Director John Michael Lee, Jr., Policy Director Rosalina Colon, Project Manager vi Contents 1 Continuing the Conversation: An overview of the measurement of progress on the commission’s recommendations 4 The Commission’s Approach to Assessing the Current Status on the Recommendations 6 A Year in Review 10 Overall Goal of the Commission 10 Reading the Document 11 Measuring the Goal: U.S. Educational Attainment Among 25- to 34-Year-Olds 17 Recommendation One: Provide a program of voluntary preschool education, universally available to children from low-income families 19 General Findings for This Recommendation 20 Percentage of 3- and 4-Year-Olds Enrolled in Preschool Programs 33 Percentage of 3- and 4-Year-Olds Enrolled in State-Funded Pre-K Programs 38 Percentage of 3- and 4-Year-Olds Enrolled in Head Start Programs 43 Recommendation Two: Improve middle and high school counseling 45 General Findings for This Recommendation 45 Student-to-Counselor Ratio 49 Statewide Comprehensive School Counseling Programs 51 Professional Development for Secondary School Counselors 53 Percentage of Counselors’ Time Spent on Tasks 55 Eight Components of College and Career Readiness Counseling 57 Recommendation Three: Implement the best research-based dropout prevention programs 59 General Findings for This Recommendation 61 Graduation Rates of Public High School Students 74 National Status Dropout Rate — Excluding Institutional Populations 78 National Status Dropout Rate — Including Institutional Populations 81 National Event Dropout Rate vii 97 Recommendation Four: Align the K–12 education system with international standards and college admission expectations 99 General Findings for This Recommendation 101 Percentage of Public High Schools Offering AP® or IB Courses in the Four Core Subject Areas 111 Percentage of Schools Offering Dual Enrollment 115 Percentage of States with Alignment Between K–12 and Higher Education Standards 119 Percentage of Students in Remedial College Classes 127 Recommendation Five: Improve teacher quality and focus on recruitment and retention 129 General Findings for This Recommendation 130 State Encouragement and Support for Teacher Professional Development 134 Percentage of Public School Teachers of Grades Nine Through 12 by Field 137 State Policies on Out-of-Field Teachers 139 Percentage of Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degrees Earned in Education 145 Percentage of Teachers Leaving the Profession 149 Data Systems to Monitor Teacher Quality 152 Percentage of Teachers by Full-Time Teaching Experience by State 155 Recommendation Six: Clarify and simplify the admission process 157 General Findings for This Recommendation 158 Percentage of Four-Year Colleges with Admission Applications Available Online 161 Percentage of Four-Year Colleges That Accept Admission Applications Online 164 Percentage of Four-Year Colleges That Participate in National and State Application Systems 169 Immediate Enrollment Rate of High School Graduates viii 177 Recommendation Seven: Provide more need-based grant aid while simplifying the fi nancial aid system and making it more transparent 179 General Findings for This Recommendation 180 Grant Aid for Students from Low-Income Families 188 Student Loan Debt Levels 193 Simplifying the Federal Student Aid System and the Application Process 195 Implementation of Policies Designed to Provide Incentives for Institutions to Promote Enrollment and Success of Low-Income and First-Generation Students 197 Recommendation Eight: Keep college affordable 199 General Findings for This Recommendation 200 State Appropriations to Fund Higher Education 205 Tuition, Fees and Other Costs of Attendance at Colleges and Universities 213 Net Price Students Pay for College 215 Changes in Family Income Levels 217 Earnings of College Graduates 219 Recommendation Nine: Dramatically increase college completion rates 221 General Findings for This Recommendation 223 Freshman-to-Sophomore Retention 230 Graduation Rates of Associate Degree– and Certifi cate-Seeking Students 249 Graduation Rates of Bachelor’s Degree–Seeking Students 268 Degrees Awarded at Colleges and Universities 279 Recommendation Ten: Provide postsecondary opportunities as an essential element of adult education programs 281 General Findings for This Recommendation 282 Educational Attainment for Adults Ages 25 to 34 288 Adults Ages 25 to 34 with No High School Diploma Who Attain a GED 294 Enrollment of Nontraditional Students in Postsecondary Education